Positive displacement pneumatic motors are used in a variety of applications because of their inherent ease of use, constant force output, safe operation in explosive environments, among other reasons. They function by supplying compressed gas to either a primary piston and/or diaphragm that then pushes against a load such as a pump. At the end of each stroke, the motor must exhaust the high pressure air and move in the opposite direction to repeat the cycle. The control of the movement of the primary piston and/or diaphragm is accomplished by an air valve assembly connected to limit switches that sense the movement of the primary piston and/or diaphragm. The construction of the typical air valve assembly creates a point at which the valve can become centered and stuck. During normal operation, the air valve assembly moves fast enough past the center point to avoid stopping. However, at times, the air valve assembly can be slowed due to causes such as low gas pressure or fouling (such as ice build up due to the expanding gas). If the air valve assembly subsequently gets centered and stuck, even if the fouling is removed (for example, the ice melts) or if the proper air pressure is restored, the motor will need an operator to manually restart it, possibly requiring disassembly of the motor.